How Decluttering is Like Getting Multiple Tattoos

I know plenty of people with tattoos. Here in Portland, all the cool kids have them. It’s probably a good time to remind the readers at home that I am not now, nor have I ever been, one of the cool kids. There are many, many tattoos that look cool, but inking myself permanently sounds like a bad idea, and one that I’m not likely to make while sober. My favorite ones are the Japanese or Chinese characters that girls are convinced mean something like justice or purity, though they have never, ever fact checked their research. I rather like the idea of a tattoo artist finding beautiful characters that might not mean what they tell people they mean.

what you get when you Google “creative commons tattoo”

Average Joe recently posted a great article about decluttering his closet, and how, because he itemizes his deductions, donating this month was a good thing for his taxes (and the good people of Texarkana). Donating clothes to charity feels good. You can pat yourself on the back, knowing that you didn’t contribute to landfills, and that someone less fortunate (or more frugal!) can buy your used clothes at a charity shop.

But it got me thinking.

What it means to get multiple tattoos

Do you know anyone who has only one tattoo? I certainly don’t.* There’s a phenomenon with tattoos (or tats, as the cool kids call them). A person spends a long time thinking about their first tat. They look through the artist’s books. They research Chinese calligraphy (or they should!). They think about place. Wrist, foot, ankle, shoulder, bicep, top of back, tramp stamp area, etc. They pick a shop. Sometimes this is easy, and most of the time it is not. You have to rely on word of mouth.

Fun story: on my best friend’s 18th birthday, we went to get her a tattoo. She wanted four flowers on the small of her back. She drew the art herself, and got a recommendation from a tattoo guy in town. We walked in for her appointment, and the guy said to her, “now, bend over, like we’re on our first date.” It was the most colorful thing I’d ever heard a stranger say in my presence.I swear, I grew up on the set of “Leave it to Beaver” or something.

Anyway, my friend got her tat, and was all of a sudden one of the cool kids. I was a little jealous, I won’t lie. But I was fascinated by what happened next. Right away, she started saving for her next tattoo! She now has four, I think, and they’re very cool. I’m not sure she has plans for more, since she is rather busy being a brand new mommy (congratulations, Emily!), but once she got her first one, she was compelled to get more.

Eliminating clutter is similar

When I started my path toward simplicity, I was moving across town. Moving is a natural time to go through your stuff and make sure you don’t move things you don’t really use. Then, once I settled in to my new place, I realized I had more to do. More to unpack. More stuff than I wanted.

And so it started. Oh, it was all very innocent at first. A drawer here, a purse there. But soon, it spiraled. When my long-distance relationship ended in September, I went through my entire apartment, removing vestiges of the boy who wouldn’t be back. After I got back home, I re-christened the “boy drawer” in my dresser as a drawer for all of my camera’s accessories. The camera accessorizes more than I do, and it needs its own drawer.

I can’t stop. Every time I go to Goodwill to go shopping, I bring a full bag to donate. Every other time I hang laundry, I go through my “closet” (really a bar across my bedroom) with a scrutinizing eye.

It’s habit-forming, I tell you. Just like the person who has a full sleeve of tattoos, I will probably never be done with my mission. Right now, by my front door, I have a grocery bag full of clothes ready to donate, as well as a grocery bag full of that fancy glass food storage with the locking lids. Those are going back to my mom, since she’s sent me home with food for a long time and I haven’t been giving the containers back.

I’m not the most organized person you’ll ever meet, nor is my house the cleanest on the block.

But, boy do I love paring down my stuff. I may not ever be like Kerry, with her tiny wardrobe in London, but I do know that by making space, I’m letting in room for peace.

And roommates.

decluttered Christmas decorations

*That’s not entirely true. I have a friend who has a tattoo in his armpit, of an anchor. All of his buddies in college have the same one. It’s smaller than a dime. And his wasn’t a sober decision. Also it detracts from the very important point I was trying to make.

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I have three tattoos, and I agree they are addictive, much like minimalism. Mine were all spaced about three to four years apart, with the latest one about three years ago. I don't have plans to get another one any time soon, but I doubt that I'll never get another one.

It does seem that tats are one of those things that once you get started…I've been there with the decluttering too. I swear I don't have that much stuff, but I still love getting rid of stuff and organizing. And I never feel finished. It's also one of those things that can suck up the time of an entire weekend. Because it's hard to do just one drawer and stop there.

I have one tattoo that I had carefully chosen and I don't regret it. I don't have any plans on getting another one but I wouldn't rule it out I LOVE to de-clutter and donate things in good condition. My family is scared whenever I go over to their homes because I would have a field day helping them to get rid of excess clutter they have lol.

Good post! I would agree that they do seem to be addictive. My wife has a 3 leaf clover on the small of her back that she got before we met. I've toyed with the idea, but am not really sold on the idea. I am of the opinion that if God wanted it there, then it would be there. That said, she's been trying to talk me up on getting one together. Time will tell I guess.

Welcome to the un-cool kids table, Holly! :) There are a few coffee shops in town that I think only serve me coffee b/c my tattoos might be hidden. I feel like a visitor from Gap-land when I\’m at those places!

I can't say that I'd ever get a tattoo. Maybe I'm just past that age of rebelliousness. Maybe I'm not interested in the pain. Maybe it's the permanence. I could use some help in the decluttering department, though.

I think the purpose of the hidden tattoos is the good feeling of having a secret that's only revealed to a few. Or to many, depending on the person. You're welcome to help the decluttering. I'm good at getting rid of unimportant papers, but I have cables and tech equipment and Wifi cards and other computer stuff from the last decade. At least it's all in a big bin.

In Portland we have a cool nonprofit called FreeGeek, and they take all kinds of donations of old, sad, unwanted computer parts. They rebuild them and give them to the less fortunate, and also sell cords for a low price. Maybe you have something like that?

I'm so not a tattoo person. (Piercings = entirely different story).
You're a pro declutterer! Can you inspire me (or my spouse, even better)? I hate the volume of stuff I have overall, but individually I like having the things.
Also, I love that your camera accessorizes well. They have a habit of doing that. If only I could figure out how to use mine!

This might sound morbid, but I always imagine I\’m someone who has to get stuff out of my place after I\’ve died. In decluttering, I\’m doing something nice for them rather than burdeining them with stuff they won\’t be excited I\’ve kept all these years.

Haha, this is funny and a funny comparison. I have several tattoos myself, lol. Its' a great comparison thought to decluttering, once you get started, you cant' stop! Justl ike me with home fixes. Once I fix the bathroom light, I see that the tub needs new grout, then I see that the tile floor needs one new tile, then I see…. never ends! :-)

Haha, like you I only know one person who has exactly one tattoo. My 50-year-old accountant friend got a teeny tiny tattoo on his ankle with his fraternity letters a lifetime ago, and we always make fun of him for it since it contradicts his straight-laced image so much =)

We donated a ton of stuff this year, due to the MIL's passing, but I also have a rule that if I buy something new clothes wise, then something similar has to leave the closet. It helps keep my wardrobe down.
I also put things away in bins, and if in 6 months, I haven't missed it, it goes in the donation pile. I try to purge at the end of a season, so I can't say- well, I didn't wear that sweater because it was summer. Sweaters get purged at the end of winter- so if I didn't wear it, it's not needed.

My wife has 7 tattoos, three of which she has gotten since we got married and one of which she came home with after drinking with some friends! I don't have any. I do want one (but only one), but if I get a tattoo, I have to wait 12 months before I can donate plasma again.

I love the analogy. I don't have tattoos but friends that do have more than one and say they are addictive. I am and OCD organizing queen so decluttering gets me excited. I can't wait to get the house reorganized this winter.

It sure is nice to declutter from time to time. I`ve moved 10 times the last 7 years, two of them including moving from another country, so I have had a lot of great opportunities to really declutter. I give to charity shops, sell things online etc.

Interesting analogy. I don't have any tattoos and don't have any plans to – I have to smile every time I see someone with a huge sleeve tattoo after they were popular a few years ago. I'm guessing there are some people out there with massive regrets.

I’ve always wanted tattoos but can’t think of what I would like enough to get inked on me.

Brian and I are the same way with decluttering though. At first it was hard, then it felt good, and now we thoroughly enjoy it. Especially since we moved to our teeny condo, we’ve gotten rid of a lot of crap!

I can definitely attest to the tattoo thing. I have 2, I want more. My wife and I have a completely different mindset on clutter. I hate it, she likes it. Every time I suggest getting rid of stuff she gets upset. I don't know what to do about that really.